CDA SOC.EM 3.E Coping Skills for Children and Families: Separation Anxiety

Children with separation anxiety disorder experience extreme distress when they are separated from parents or caregivers. Difficulty separating is normal in early childhood development; it becomes a disorder if the fear and anxiety interfere with age-appropriate behavior. Symptoms of separation anxiety disorder commonly become noticeable in preschool and early grammar school, but in rare cases it becomes problematic later, in early adolescence.